


You reached out and saved me

by Apate_thy_vindication (AliceHatter)



Category: 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい | 30-sai Made Doutei da to Mahou Tsukai ni Nareru Rashii (TV), 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい | Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Childhood, Childhood Memories, Co-workers, Developing Friendships, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, Family Issues, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Time Skips, Unrequited Crush, Wealth, rich! kurosawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28433247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceHatter/pseuds/Apate_thy_vindication
Summary: Take me away with you, my shy angel of years gone by.Kurosawa Yuichi has always been perfect, and this is his life from before the current timeline. That is until... Adachi Kiyoshi becomes the light that Yuichi didn't know he desperately needed in his everyday dreariness, and saves Yuichi from despair.[In which Kurosawa finds Adachi.]"I like you!""...Excuse me?"
Relationships: Adachi Kiyoshi/Kurosawa Yuichi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	You reached out and saved me

_Kurosawa Yuichi is a perfect human._

Surrounded by compliments about his temperament, his appearance, his work ethic, that there was never a moment in his life where he was down- or so people like to spread rumors. The thing is, Kurosawa Yuichi is human. Just like any other. 

And he too, had been in his fair share of times when he felt dreadful beyond all recognition. 

He had known since he was young he had the birth advantage, that he had won the epitome of the genetic lottery with his family background and his looks. He hadn't understood why the girls always stuck close to him during storytime, or why he had less guy friends than the others. He grew to realize it was because he was attractive.

Getting stopped in the street by professional people giving him their business cards, asking whether he wanted to be an actor, a model, a singer- a _star_ , and he always looked back at them with the same disinterested look he had perfected. At such a young age, no one should have to make themselves into a perfect persona- but he did, and it became his entire life. 

"I like you!" _What? Do you even know me besides my face?_

"I like you, please go out with me!" _What do you like about me, girl I've seen once in passing?_

"I love you! Please accept this!" _What do you love besides my face? My personality? My humor?_

Everything fades to nothing under the influence of my appearance, and nothing else matters besides what I look like. 

He grows up, his family at all sides, suffocating him as a constant reminder that when he did become an adult, he would be one of them. One of them. He couldn't stand it, having to portray himself as a perfect child that they could show off to their business partners, dragging him to their night galas where they raised funds for some obscure charity. 

He was more than a figurehead, was more than a child they could brag about to their so-called friends, the ones who stared at him with unkind eyes whilst their mouths let words of sweet honey flow. It made him sick- but still, he held onto his mother's hand and smiled when she turned him towards yet another associate of her and his father's. 

His exam scores are always perfect, just like him. His parents make the time to attend parent-teacher conferences just so they could sit and listen to his teachers tell them that he's a shining example, how he was always sociable with everyone- even the "social left outs", they whisper. His father spots a single test paper with a small red mark upon it, and keeps up his friendly smile, but he could feel that he was not going to sleep well that night.

His dark premonition comes true and he is sat down in the living room where his parents give him a scolding. 

"How could you miss such a simple question?" 

"Are you lacking in anything that you would do such a thing on purpose?"

"How many times do we have to tell you that you have to be perfect? Perfect!" 

He sits there as they hurl those hurtful words at him, as if they've forgotten that he's their child, as if they've forgotten he's not even a teenager yet, as if they've ignored all of the above and lowered him to a trophy child in their eyes, and he knows- they have. Because not once in their whole tirade have they called him by his name. Never did they call him, " _Yuichi_." 

Only his sister ever called him by his name anymore, and she was always called their failure. He hated how they treated her, hated how he was always compared to her, but still she stood and took it, smiled in her kind, unassuming way, because at least she still had their looks, she was reminded all the time.

At least until she moved out and didn't look back. 

He found out much too late that she was only waiting for the right time to leave, to get away from their wretched family, and when she leaves, she gives him a number he can reach her at, and like the moon disappearing when the dawn arises, she leaves, and he is left behind, alone in that house with their parents, until he too decides to leave. 

Ah, the kind one. He was always the kind one at school, at home, outside. What use was being kind when he didn't even have to be to attract people with just a look in their direction? 

He's with colleagues at the dinner, laughing and smiling as he's expected to do because of his looks, and he feels queasy at the sight of the bloodied meat and red wine that wafted past his nose. His forced smile twitches when he's forced into taking another glass and his co-worker, Adachi, was it?- tries to take the glass from his hand so he didn't have to. He waves him off with a cheerful grin, silently appreciating the thoughtful action, and downs it, his dizzying headache getting all the more worse. 

His hand gestures get sloppier, his words slightly slurring together as he looks down at the table while smiling for the president as she leaned towards him, and he feels her hand on his thigh, travelling upward as she leers at him, and he can't control himself and knocks the chair back as he feels vomit rising in his throat. 

He can't even muster up a half baked apology as he stares at his startled colleagues, the president looking taken aback but slowly looking more furious as the seconds ticked on by. "I- I- excuse me!" 

He escapes to a park bench that's just nearby, hidden by tall trees as he slumps over on the chilled wood and gasps for air that doesn't come. His eyes slide shut, and all he can think about is how at times like this he should say his family background right off the bat even if people would stare at him as if he didn't have enough to brag about.

His eyes blink open and he gasps when he realizes he's on someone's lap. He's struggling to push himself up when a hand pats his chest and a quiet voice says, "Don't push yourself, Kurosawa." He stills when he realizes it's his colleague, Adachi. Adachi Kiyoshi. The one who couldn't drink but offered to do so in his stead.

His arm falls over his eyes and he holds back tears as he chokes back words that might be taken the wrong way, and comes up with, "Sorry, I look so lame right now, huh?" When Adachi looks at him questioningly, his lips turn down and he turns away, hiding his eyes once more. _See? He didn't know what to say to that._

Then the quiet voice pipes up again, "If what I think happened to you back there by president B, I don't think your reaction was something you should apologize for though?" Yuichi's breathing pauses as he listens to Adachi speak.

"If it were a female colleague with a male president, I think we'd be more on the offensive, don't you think so? Our older colleagues might say, oh, suck it up to get the contract, what harm could it do? But I'm sure that if it were brought up, we wouldn't want our company to be associated with such a brand that lets its head do such things. So, no. Don't be sorry, Kurosawa. You did good, and... it'll be okay." 

Tears, something foreign to Yuichi, prick at the edges of his eyes as he feels Adachi's hand pat softly at his chest, and he hears him laugh a little. "What is it?" Yuichi peeks up at Adachi and feels his breath stop at the sight of his smile. "Well, I thought you were perfect, too perfect anyways, but- you're human like the rest of us." 

_That was it._

That was what Yuichi had wanted to yell to the world, to his parents, to his admirers, that he was **_human_** , just like them.

He apologizes to the president after a few more minutes outside, bowing his head before her with the rest of his colleagues, but he smooths it over with the excuse that he had been feeling ill and that wine had exacerbated it, that he by no means, wished to offend her. 

He grimaces in his heart at how he has to bow to the very person who molested him, and he wants to gag at the way her long painted fingernails tap his shoulder on her way out as she smiles greasily. 

He couldn't stand just watching that woman get away with it- even if Adachi had helped him through it just a few minutes prior. He sends everyone off first, making sure Adachi gets into a cab, and as his hand slowly falls down from his wave, so does his smile. He hails a cab and gives the driver an address. 

He goes home. 

No, not _that_ home.

Not the comfortable home he'd decorated with a towering plant, the white dining table, cozy light fixtures, the worn couch and clean kitchen. No. He went home, the home he had grown up in. 

That dark, quiet, ominous place that surrounded him like brick walls closing in on his ability to breathe, and as the heavy door clicks shut behind him, the lights flicker on, and he breathes in the scent of his childhood. It was not welcome. 

But he had made up his mind, and so he had to go through with his action. Each step of his feet upon the floor made him want to slam his fist into a wall, and he finds his way to the staircase and ascends those carpeted steps, and hesitates just a second, before opening the door to his father's office. 

Not that he was there anymore. 

Yuichi sits in that leather chair, his fingertips smoothing across the mouse before he turns on the computer, and the lights reflect off his eyes as he scrolls down the stock shares, the way numbers jumped out at him even if he deliberately tried to ignore them. Because no matter what, he was still his parents' blood, their child, and their education stuck deep within his bones. 

His free hand slides over his neatly ironed slacks, the feel of B company president's hand still lingering on his leg, an unwanted, filthy touch that he didn't want to remember. He rests his chin on the palm of his hand, scrolling down to where he finds B company listed in the ranks, and he _clicks._

He powers off the computer, knowing his parents wouldn't care about one insignificant company going under when the one he worked for would rise, and he pushes in the chair as he leaves the room, the lights turning off, and the door once again shuts behind him. 

His parents had long since moved to a larger house, in a more expensive neighborhood that was closer to their company, and they loved reminding him of how it would one day be all be his, and why wasn't he coming home to them? He wanted to ask them why they didn't just sell this empty house but he knows well that it was to show off their wealth. 

Why was he still working at that other company and not their own? They would give him the CEO position, didn't he want more than what he was currently getting? What was the point of resisting his own family- come home to them, and they would give him the world that other people could only dream of attaining.

But that was the whole point. He didn't want to be in that world. As long as his parents were there, those eyes surrounding him at all times, he didn't want any of it. Refusing their cards, their checks, only accepting the bare minimum of their phone calls, hoping, just hoping- perhaps it would be them turning their views around, even if it was late- but it was never that. 

All that allowance he never used but saved up finally came into use when he moved out on his own, only leaving a letter behind telling them of his gratitude of raising him, for sending him to university. Still, it wasn't as if he paid his way into university, he had gotten in on his own merit, but still. 

The rumors followed him around even during those days, of how he was from a prominent family, how his grades were always stellar, but with his looks and background, wouldn't it just be so easy to forget those perfect grades? 

He smiled through them, those fake friends of his always nagging at him to go out with him on all days of the week, how he should pay for their eating out at restaurants because unlike them he wasn't a "poor" university kid, how he should be so grateful his parents gave him such a perfect face and how he didn't have to worry about getting a job in an uncertain job market. 

He was glad they slid off his back once he entered the company he chose to go to later on, and he slowly settled into his new position. But even here, he was expected to be perfect.

"Oh, Kurosawa did that file on X company? As expected of that handsome perfect guy." He did it because he was assigned to it.

"Kurosawa did you finish that data I asked about? You did it already? You're so fast, as expected!" He did it faster than his deadline because if he turned it in on d-day, he would get berated at, asking why he didn't do it earlier.

"Yo- Kurosawa! Let's go out for drinks sometime! Ah? You're starting next week's project? As expected of the top earner!" It wasn't that he wanted to do the project right then and there, it's just that going out for drinks is tiring during a weekday, and he didn't want to nurse a hangover the day after.

Going out for drinks only meant trouble, in the form of the guys inviting along the girls they're interested in, and finding not even an hour in that they were all interested in Kurosawa and not paying attention to them. Bringing unwanted hate on his person made him weary, and he wanted to avoid all that. 

In this normal life, comes **_Adachi._**

His eyes follow Adachi around, the shorter one who always had a slight bedhead, the one who takes the elevator instead of the stairs, and lets people go in front of him even though he might clock in late. 

Adachi who took on more work than he could bear because people pushed it onto him. Adachi who liked Japanese food more than any other cuisine. Adachi who couldn't say no, even if he wasn't feeling much better himself. Adachi, the one whose rare smile made him light up like the stars in the night sky. 

Adachi, the one that he, Kurosawa Yuichi, liked one-sidedly. 

Adachi, the one that he wanted to look perfect for, putting in extra effort to exercise, to make more jokes than he usually would, to offer more than he usually would- as he takes him all in as the days pass and he just falls deeper into this hole that he's dug for himself. But he liked it. 

Somehow, Adachi spent the night over at his place and he couldn't sleep the entire night, just feeling the sheer amazement at how much wonder he felt at how his crush was just on the other side of his door.

Sleeping in the pajamas he had bought for him. Sleeping in his futon. Sleeping in his house? Unbelievable.

He sneaks into the kitchen early enough to make breakfast, and his decision to make a traditional Japanese breakfast was spot on when Adachi takes a bite of sweet- _take a note for next time_ \- tamagoyaki, and smiles while saying, "This is really good!" 

They leave together, and his slight sigh at how of course, Adachi wouldn't have accepted his offer of eating breakfast at his place on the way to work so easily. He wishes he had though.

He side-steps the awkward pinpoint of a question where his colleagues laughed about how the old president got what she deserved when her stocks tanked in a single day, driving her out of business.

Adachi gives him a side-glance that he thinks goes unnoticed, but when Kurosawa gives him a little nudge, he startles away with a flinch. 

Covering his awkwardness, he picks up his drink again, noticing Rokkaku yelling in the background, and the king game starts. Hiding his number until the manager calls out 3 and 8, and he sees the small black number etched onto the wood. "3 and 8, kiss!" 

The world slides away to a dimly lit blur, and all he can see is Adachi, who shudders when he reaches for his face. His heart sinks at the sight of Adachi hunching into himself, and he swoops in- to give him a small peck on the forehead. "I'll get some air then?" 

Kurosawa stands, leaving behind the room, with a tingling mouth, and it's the first time since the elevator that he's felt this much tension within himself. He didn't want to force himself on Adachi, no matter what his fantasies implied. He wanted a relationship where they would equally like each other, not just him being like this. 

He squeezes his eyes shut as his hands grip the cold balcony bars, and the sound of the city at night rings in his ears as he sighs. Then- a bang. 

He whirls around to see Adachi standing there with a water bottle clutched in his hand, and Kurosawa wants to laugh at how flustered he looks. "Hey." 

"H-hey." 

Taking the offered water bottle, he takes a swig, and unknowingly, his arm brushes up against Adachi who doesn't lean away. "That must have been awkward right? Sorry..I don't know what they were thinking, trying to make two guys kiss."

He forces a laugh but Adachi doesn't follow his lead, just biting his lip and looking unsure of what to say. 

"I'll leave you to it then." _I'm sorry I fell in love with you. As expected, it's impossible for two guys, right? I'll try to fold up this love before it goes too far for me to turn back. There's no chance for me anyways, and what use is it to pursue a love that will never go beyond friendship?_

Yuichi feels the cold handle of the doorknob as he turns it, facing the darkness of the stairwell, and just beyond it, the glowing lights of the izakaya.

"...it!" 

He turns back, and Adachi grips the bar with white knuckles as he shouts. "I didn't hate it!" His heart beats wildly, and he waits mid-breath.

"It was just- sudden, ok!? And uh, my first kiss! So, so- yeah!? I didn't h-hate it! Your- your kiss, I mean!!" 

_What? Adachi didn't hate it? No, besides that- his first kiss? So the rumor of him being a virgin was true? No, no, even besides that- did he realize what he just said?_

He doesn't move from his spot as he gazes at Adachi, who with his hands crumpling his suit, and eyes looking up towards him, looks nervous at his silence, but doesn't bolt away. "Do you...realize what you're implying?" 

Adachi's hands leave his suit and ball up at his sides before he nods, his hair falling in front of his eyes. Kurosawa doesn't feel the water bottle in his hand crinkle up as he squeezes the plastic, and he slowly moves towards Adachi until he's right in front of him, cornering him up against the railing. 

Kiyoshi, the one who showed him kindness when no one ever did without having an ulterior motive. Adachi who actually moved more away from him after that incident.

Kiyoshi who smiled like the morning sun that dappled his bed and was awkwardly sweet and kind, and someone who Yuichi, for the first time ever in his life, wanted to make his own. 

Thank you, Kiyoshi. Thank you for suddenly coming into my life by giving me that lap pillow on the cold park bench. Thank you for being there for me without judgement. Thank you for accepting **_me_** \- 

Yuichi leans in, the water bottle laying forgotten somewhere on the concrete floor as he brushes his hand against Kiyoshi's cheek, one hand cupping his neck, and their breaths mingle as they look into each other's eyes, the sound of the wind in their ears. "Is this really okay?" 

He can't help but ask it once more. Just in case.

Kiyoshi answers- _with a kiss_.

**Author's Note:**

> AHHHHHHHH I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCHHHHHHH JESUSSSSSS CHRISTTTTTT *Screams into the void of falling deeper into the cherry majo fandom* AHHHHHHH COME SCREAM WITH ME *CRIES SOBS DIES* WHOLESOMEEEEE BEAUTIFUL COMMUNICATION AND BEST COUPLE OF 2020 AGHHHHHHHHH *takes my heart and throws it at the producers so they make a season 2, which if you can't tell by now- I need in my life a LOT* Yes- I'm the author of the fic you just read, my brain is just- *screams in kurosawa power moves* well, yeah-
> 
> I love kudos & comments, they're very very appreciated!!!!!!!


End file.
